Financial institution officers and a bank consumer had been charged inside the Chicago area Tuesday with fraud for submitting a false loan application to the SBA (SBA) for nearly $4 million.
James Graber and Kristin King, along side Ryan Cole of Garland, Texas, were charged by a federal grand jury in Rockford with wire fraud in reference to a mortgage application made to the SBA.
Authorities charged Cole with counts of making false statements to the SBA on a loan application, Graber and King have been each charged with one be count.
The case centers around SunLee Development, which owned a industrial building at 4001 North Perryville Rd., in Loves Park, Illinois. SunLee acquired three loans totaling greater than $3 million at a nearby financial institution in which Graber, 57, was employed as a vice president and King, forty four, was also employed as a VP and government guaranteed lending specialist. Cole, 45, and a member of SunLee, guaranteed the three loans and therefore was liable in the event of default.
SunLee fell behind on its loan because of tenants at 4001 North Perryville failure to pay rent. The indictment alleges that Cole helped tenants at 4001 North Perryville to apply for an SBA guaranteed loan and to purchase the building from SunLee. The tenants and Cole are known as the Perryville Investment Group.
The indictment states that in March of 2012, Cole, Graber and King submitted a $3.98 million loan application to the SBA for the Perryville Investment Group that contained false statements and hid material statistics. The Perryville Investment Group subsequently defaulted on the SBA loan.
Each count of wire fraud, making false statements and concealing material facts to the SBA comes with a maximum penalty of up to 30 years in prison and a fine of up to $1 million.
If you have defaulted on an SBA loan, you may be eligible for an SBA loan offer in compromise. The SBA loan offer in compromise may allow you to settle the debt for less than the full amount. Contact Protect Law Group at 1-888-756-9969 today for a consultation with a qualified SBA workout attorney.
Millions of Dollars in SBA Debts Resolved via Offer in Compromise and Negotiated Repayment Agreements without our Clients filing for Bankruptcy or Facing Home Foreclosure
Millions of Dollars in Treasury Debts Defended Against via AWG Hearings, Treasury Offset Program Resolution, Cross-servicing Disputes, Private Collection Agency Representation, Compromise Offers and Negotiated Repayment Agreements
Our Attorneys are Authorized by the Agency Practice Act to Represent Federal Debtors Nationwide before the SBA, The SBA Office of Hearings and Appeals, the Treasury Department, and the Bureau of Fiscal Service.

Our firm successfully resolved an SBA COVID-19 Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) default in the amount of $150,000 on behalf of Illinois-based client. After the business permanently closed due to the economic impacts of the pandemic, the owners faced potential personal liability if the business collateral was not liquidated properly under the SBA Security Agreement.
We guided the client through the SBA’s Business Closure Review process, prepared a comprehensive financial submission, and negotiated directly with the SBA to release the collateral securing the loan. The borrower satisfied their collateral obligations with a payment of $2,075, resolving the SBA’s security interest.

Our firm successfully facilitated the SBA settlement of a COVID-19 Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) where borrower received an SBA disaster loan of $150,000, but due to the severe economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the business was unable to recover.
Despite the borrower’s efforts to maintain operations, shutdowns and restrictions significantly reduced the customer base and revenue, making continued operations unsustainable. After a thorough business closure review, we negotiated with the SBA, securing a resolution where the borrower paid only $6,015 to release the collateral, with no further financial liability for the owner/officer.
This case demonstrates how businesses affected by the pandemic can navigate SBA loan settlements effectively. If your business is struggling with an SBA EIDL loan, we specialize in SBA Offer in Compromise (SBA OIC) solutions to help close outstanding debts while minimizing financial burden.

Clients executed personal and corporate guarantees for an SBA 7(a) loan from a Preferred Lender Provider (PLP). The borrower corporation defaulted on the loan exposing all collateral pledged by the Clients. The SBA subsequently acquired the loan balance from the PLP, including the right to collect against all guarantors. The SBA sent the Official Pre-Referral Notice to the guarantors giving them sixty (60) days to either pay the outstanding balance in full, negotiate a Repayment (Offer in Compromise (OIC) or Structured Workout (SW)), challenge their alleged guarantor liability or file a Request for Hearing (Appeals Petition) with the SBA Office of Hearings & Appeals.
Because the Clients were not financially eligible for an OIC, they opted for Structured Workout negotiations directly with the SBA before the debt was transferred to the Bureau of Fiscal Service, a division of the U.S. Department of Treasury for enforced collection.
The Firm was hired to negotiate a global Workout Agreement directly with the SBA to resolve the personal and corporate guarantees. After submitting the Structured Workout proposal, the assigned SBA Loan Specialist approved the requested terms in under ten (10) days without any lengthy back and forth negotiations.
The favorable terms of the Workout included an extended maturity at an affordable principal amount, along with a significantly reduced interest rate saving the Clients approximately $181,000 in administrative fees, penalties and interest (contract interest rate and Current Value of Funds Rate (CVFR)) as authorized by 31 U.S.C. § 3717(e) had the SBA loan been transferred to BFS.